An assault on the very principle of peaceful protest

It is bitterly ironic that as the world celebrated Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday as International Non-Violence Day, 30 non-violent, peaceful protestors sat locked up in jail cells in Russia. Yesterday, 13 activists and one freelance videographer were formally charged with piracy, and today the remainder. Now all 28 activists and crew, plus a freelance photographer and videographer, have been unjustly charged with piracy simply for trying to — as Gandhi once famously said — be the change they want to see in the world.

At Greenpeace, we subscribe to the same set of beliefs that Gandhi lived; non-violence is at the absolute core of all of our work to defend the planet. His teachings have inspired civil rights leaders from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to the Dalai Lama and Rosa Parks, and for more than a hundred years now, peaceful activists everywhere. To this day, the head of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo, quotes Gandhi virtually every time he speaks: “First they ignore you; then they ridicule you; then they fight you; then you win.”

He would say that since they’re fighting us, we’re one step closer to winning.

But the fight to protect this planet from those that would exploit it has never been a fair one. Year after year, campaign after campaign, courageous activists all over the world choose time and again to put their personal liberty on the line to give voice to the voiceless, to even the playing field, to force governments to act where they have failed, and to speak truth to hugely powerful forces. They do this because the political system is disempowering; because they are tired of greed dictating our futures and industry controlling our governments; because time is running out and they feel they have a duty to act.

They act peacefully, and with the courage of their conviction. They are always non-violent. They bend rules when they feel they are unjust and they push boundaries to expose injustices and get important issues put on the table. There is often a legal response, and our activists take full responsibility for their actions. But never before has a reaction to a peaceful protest been so disproportionate, so wholly absurd as this one.

In the last 13 days since the Arctic Sunrise was seized, legal and human rights experts all over the world have risen up, unsolicited, to denounce these preposterous charges; over 60 NGOs and hundreds of influential people all over the world have spoken out in support of the activists, and more than 800,000 letters have been sent to Russian embassies. Countless individuals from every conceivable walk of life have joined the cry to free the Arctic 30 because they know as we do that these charges are bigger than 30 people — they are an assault on peaceful protest, on the value of non-violence, on democracy everywhere.

Yesterday, after the first two piracy charges were announced in a court in Murmansk, Russia, Kumi Naidoo, the executive director of Greenpeace International, said:

“A charge of piracy is being laid against men and women whose only crime is to be possessed of a conscience. This is an outrage and represents nothing less than an assault on the very principle of peaceful protest. Any claim that these activists are pirates is as absurd as it is abominable. It is utterly irrational, it is designed to intimidate and silence us, but we will not be cowed.

"This is now the most serious threat to Greenpeace’s peaceful environmental activism since agents of the French secret service bombed the Rainbow Warrior and killed our colleague Fernando Pereira because we stood against French nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific. Three decades later the activists of the Arctic Sunrise also took a stand, this time against the powerful vested interests of the oil industry, and they could now face the prospect of long periods in a Russian jail. I call on people from across the world, anybody who ever raised their voice in support of something they believe in, and especially the good people of Russia, to come to their aid at this moment and join us in demanding the release of the Arctic 30.

“The courageous crew of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunriseprotested at that Gazprom rig because they felt compelled to bear witness to the slow but unrelenting destruction of the Arctic. The ice is retreating, oil companies are moving north to drill for the fuels that are driving that melting, species are at risk, including our own. Thirty men and women, some young, others not-so-young, all with a moral compass, actually did something about it. Just as in years past, the resolve and courage required to win a better future for our children requires personal sacrifice, a sacrifice the Arctic 30 are now making. They made their stand in the interests of us all. Now we must come together and stand with them.”

The 28 activists, a freelance photographer and a freelance videographer, were involved in a protest against the Gazprom Arctic drilling platform Prirazlomnaya on September 18th. Two activists tried to climb the side of the platform and hang a banner. Today Greenpeace is releasing photographs of the moment Russian security services abseiled from a helicopter onto the deck of the Arctic Sunrise and seized the ship at gunpoint. The photographs clearly show peaceful activists posing no threat to the Russian authorities.

"I ask people to look at those photographs and decide if the peaceful campaigners with their arms raised, with guns pointed at their chests, could ever be described as pirates."

No way, man. It's a multinational venture.
And also, if there were security guards on the platform, your activists would have been thrown in...

No way, man. It's a multinational venture.
And also, if there were security guards on the platform, your activists would have been thrown in to the sea straight away, as soon as they climbed on the derrick. Imagine how kinder is that!

Kumi Naidoo - resign now! What a total disaster - you've allowed your whole organization to get so caught up in your righteous self-belief you los...

Kumi Naidoo - resign now! What a total disaster - you've allowed your whole organization to get so caught up in your righteous self-belief you lost the plot and look what's happening now. All the governments you've made your enemy, the rules of law (which allow the search for oil) which you selectively reject - you want those structures to help you now!

Far better to generate your salary in benevolent countries like USA, UK, New Zealand where you can prey on their goodwill and sense of fair play to perform your stunts. I hope you stand up and take as big a fall as these 30 young blissfully idealistic "warriors" you've lost will.

What next. Get some of your suckers to start dying for the cause (lucky no death penalty for pirates in Russia). Or even killing for the cause? Did you really think the rig was going to stop if you managed to get onto it?

That's why we select governments in democratic countries - so that they do things "for us", like protect law and order. Bur real numptie...

That's why we select governments in democratic countries - so that they do things "for us", like protect law and order. Bur real numpties piss on the law only until get their asses spanked. Then they turn into very law-abiding citizens and start crying "but what have we done? we are just a bunch of Gandhis! stop telling us to respect laws and do what we tell you instead!". Pathetic really, but hardly surprising given GP's piss poor track record of really making a difference.

Poor fool, any intelligent person would realize that it was Russia that has violated international law! Not to mention that their charges against Gree...

Poor fool, any intelligent person would realize that it was Russia that has violated international law! Not to mention that their charges against Greenpeace are both groundless and illegal. Russia is just digging itself deeper.

Intelligent person would have checked out the subject before making statements on it (hint hint - UN convention on law of seas, article 60). You shoul...

Intelligent person would have checked out the subject before making statements on it (hint hint - UN convention on law of seas, article 60). You should try that some day - does not guarantee getting into "intelligent" bracket, but is the first step.

People who have been in Moscow know hoe russian Police is working........... !!!! But I am afraid of 1 problem ........... will all these GP-clowns...

People who have been in Moscow know hoe russian Police is working........... !!!! But I am afraid of 1 problem ........... will all these GP-clowns become a serious competitor to famous russian State Cirkus ??? Intelligent people may know people like Oleg Popov ................ will Greenpeace take over ????

Sure they think it would stop drilling even befoere it started !!! Greenpiss would have been there !!! Like now on top of Mount Everest................

Sure they think it would stop drilling even befoere it started !!! Greenpiss would have been there !!! Like now on top of Mount Everest.............

These people are mentally sick !!! They think by doing some stupid stunds unrolling their yellow banners like on Elbphilharmony in Hamburg, during football match of Schalke 04, at Eiffel Tower in Paris and now on top of Mount Everest they will SAVE the world !!!

Do something what really shows results instead of misusing the millions you get from green eyed people thinking they do something positive for this world ...........

First step to save the world would be a kick in the ass of this Naidoo-monkey.............. flying to 18 countries from where these 30 eco-terrorists are coming to repete his meaningless nonsence in every country. The plane he is flying with is powered by blue winged angels !!!!

I bet this "director" will NOT attend the Court Session in Murmansk in november. But I personally will look for him and give my deepest congratulations to the nonsense he has created !!!

In Germany today a wind mill producing "green" energy burned down.............. Toxic smoke from burning polyesterwings, poisened earth under the windmill............ but NO yellow Greenpiss banners there............ People in local area will be suffering from this disaster for long time!!!!

Who said they were interested in real environmental solutions? This bunch of numpties has never achieved anything real and measurable. All they are in...

Who said they were interested in real environmental solutions? This bunch of numpties has never achieved anything real and measurable. All they are interested in is publicity stunts. So, afraid you are wasting your time trying to find anything "real" there.

It is close to PERVERSY to see these eco-criminals using even the words of Mahatma Gandhi !!!

This guy was fighting his fight in own coun...

It is close to PERVERSY to see these eco-criminals using even the words of Mahatma Gandhi !!!

This guy was fighting his fight in own country, not violating any other countries laws and properties!!!

Same like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi etc.......... ALL were fighting in their OWN country and not violating any other countries laws................ but Greenpiss is using the great successes these people have achived in their propaganda.

I say it again here: I wonder if this "director" of Greenpiss will attend the Court Session in Murmansk next month ??? I personally will great him welcome and then maube I can help him when russian authorities take him into custody and he we be taken to Court according to his violations of russian laws !!! IF these Greenpiss "heroes" only get 7 years in prison .......... he should get 20 !!!! They all then can enjoy their beloved Arctic !!!!!